Family Lines
by Ardhoniel Marvelite
Summary: Inhumans fanfiction. Young Triton, Karnak and Maximus have a dispute and their future roles in the family dynamic begin to appear. For 0torno.
**Family Lines**

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 _ **AN:**_ _0torno prompted: 'Do you think you could write something short with young Triton and Karnak interacting with their cousin Maximus?' And this is the result. I hope it's enjoyable!_

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Fourteen-year-old Triton walked slowly through the corridor of the palace- the home of his parents, younger brother Karnak and extended family. (He still found it hard to think of it as _his_ home, given that he had spent most of his fourteen years in a specially designed tank in the ocean.) The carpet, though he supposed it must be soft to the feet of most Inhumans, felt rough and unnatural on his scaled skin, used as he was to dwelling in water.

The heavy apparatus around his neck and chest, designed specifically to allow him to breathe on land, felt cumbersome and heavy, and his skin itched beneath the dense metal tubing, but removing it was not an option. He would suffocate in minutes. Walking upright in a water-free environment was a challenge as well. Balance was hard, and he was so much heavier out of water! He frequently had to stretch a hand to a (rough) wall to steady himself.

Shaking his head to clear these depressing thoughts, he straightened his posture and kept moving. He had _wanted_ this, after all, wanted- needed- to be able to join Inhuman society with his family. Living out of the water, with all these discomforts, was a small price to pay. He would acclimatize. As would those citizens of Attilan who viewed his Terrigenesis as a failure of his genetic heritage. He was still a fully fledged Inhuman; most of those who whispered of him in the court were not, indeed, they might never pass through the Mists at all. His appearance made him stand out, he was well aware of that, but one of his people's creeds was 'From diversity comes equality'. He firmly believed that. All Inhumans were equal, and all were different.

 _Then why do some of them refer to you as an abberation?_ Triton clenched his fist, crushing the stray thought. Not all thought of him that way. And if that were in fact true, he would not have been permitted to join the Royal Family here. The King and Council had accepted him. That, and the love of his family, was all he needed.

Footsteps sounded, breaking Triton out of his melancholy thoughts. He smiled as his eleven-year old brother walked into view, face buried in a book as usual.

"Greetings, brother Karnak." Triton smiled. "Are you to be reading new books again? I am not understanding what joy in such things there be." Even as he spoke, he winced. He knew what he had meant to say, and had thought it through carefully, but still he never managed to speak the way his brother and parents did. Another reason he was set apart. His mind seemed to have little control on the order in which words left his mouth.

Thankfully, Karnak, despite only being eleven years of age, and not having been through Terrigenesis himself, their parents having forbidden it after Triton's transformation, never had any difficulty understanding his older brother's meaning.

"Good morning to you as well, Triton, and yes, this is a new book. I am studying the histories of our priests, and this is the latest volume. It's fascinating actually, even if you do not think so." Karnak shrugged. "I do not see the appeal in exploring everything that lives in the ocean, yet you revel in it. To each their own interests."

"Thinking I am that you still wishing to be a priest, Brother?"

"Yes. Someday. I still do not wish to undergo Terrigenesis-"

Triton flinched. _Of course he does not wish to end up like me_.

Karnak raised his hand as if he had read his brother's thoughts. "Because I believe I can be of more use to the family by studying. The Council have sent every one of our cousins through the Mists. You know of the effects it can have on our family."

Karnak fell silent at that, but Triton nodded, knowing full well his brother did not simply mean him. All of Attilan had heard of King Agon's firstborn, Blackagar, so devastatingly powerful he was being raised in seclusion. He was Triton's age, but no-one save Agon and his queen, Rynda, had ever seen him. Nor did anyone know exactly what Blackagar's powers were. It was a forbidden subject, though there was much speculation.

Triton sighed, not liking the somber turn this conversation had taken. "Think you we should being finding our cousins? Their studying surely might be finishing with by this time." He did enjoy the company of Medusalith and Gorgon, and little Crystalia was adorable too.

"Did some half-wit stumble into the palace?"

The snide voice preceded the speaker around the corner, and Triton groaned inwardly. Here was the one cousin he did _not_ like overmuch. Maximus, the second son of Agon and Rynda. Maximus was Karnak's age, an incredibly gifted inventor, and possessed of the meanest spirit Triton had ever encountered.

The black-haired pale-complexioned boy raised a brow upon seeing Triton, and his lip curled in a sneer. "Well, well, if it isn't the _fish_. That explains the idiotic speech." Maximus sniffed before wrinkling his nose. "And the smell."

Triton hung his head. Maximus always spoke to him his way if there were no adults around. "Cousin, why thinking you it amusing to be speaking such hurtful words?"

Maximus burst out laughing, almost doubled over. Triton's eyes filled with tears. Did his cousin not care that he was upsetting him?

Karnak must have seen his downcast expression, because he glared at Maximus. "Don't you have anything better to do than pick on people, your _highness_?"

Maximus eventually recovered from his mirth enough to speak. "Well, I was going to see if you wished to help me with something in the lab, cousin, but if you would rather keep this _creature_ company, I will leave you to it." He turned to leave, turning back at the last minute. "Hmm. I have an idea, Karnak. Maybe you can teach _it_ to talk like a normal person. Then it might stop being such a freak!"

He stared, waiting for Triton to respond, chuckling. Tears were actually about to fall from Triton's eyes now. He had no idea why Maximus hated him so much. Karnak clenched his fists and actually lunged at Maximus. Triton quickly moved into his path, preventing him from striking the prince.

Maximus smirked. "You need the sea abomination to protect you now, cousin? I thought you were better than that."

Karnak's next words sounded as if they came through clenched teeth. "Triton is my brother, _your highness_ , and by default your cousin too."

Maximus only snorted. Karnak's eyes narrowed. "And he is _not_ a freak. He has an unusual gift by our people's standards, true, but he is less of an abomination than _you_." These words were practically hissed. "In all my studies of our people's history, _you_ are the only one to pass through Terrigenesis _without_ gaining any gift whatsoever. You realise if you were not the son of our king and queen, you would likely have been ejected from our society?"

Maximus flinched back. Pain showed in his eyes for a split second before it vanished as his face contorted into a sneer. Triton glanced from his younger brother to his cousin, feeling helpless, hating fights, hating the thought that he had caused so much contention in the family. Perhaps he should simply return to the waters after all... He would be lonely, but this quarrel would cease, and the family would be happier...

Before Maximus had a chance to retaliate, Queen Rynda stepped up behind him, placing a slender hand on his shoulder, making them all jump slightly, not having heard her approach. Karnak and Triton inclined their heads in greeting. Maximus mimicked the gesture, but it seemed more like a nod in his case.

"What is going on here?" Rynda's voice was completely calm, although, as Triton reckoned it, the queen must have been close enough to have heard the argument, and heard every word that had been said. His heart pounded. What Karnak had said was true, but Rynda should never have heard it! No-one ever even spoke of Maximus' deformity. Would Karnak be in trouble for using it as an insult? Triton wanted to explain, but he knew his warped speech would be of little use in this situation.

Karnak visibly took a deep breath. Maximus' eyes were locked on the floor, his expression sullen. Rynda's eyes were on Karnak and Triton, waiting for a reply. Karnak eventually spoke.

"We were simply debating something about Terrigenesis and the discussion became heated. My apologies if we disturbed you, my queen." He muttered a quick apology to Maximus, seemingly regretting his harsh words. Maximus did not look up or reply.

Rynda raised a brow but did not press the matter further, merely nodding in satisfaction. "As long of the three of you remain civil. I have larger concerns than stopping you children from fighting. Remember, you are family, not enemies." She walked away at that. Maximus muttered something that sounded vaguely like 'run off to see my _brother_ as always,' but Rynda appeared not to hear him.

Triton frowned. Rynda had not addressed Maximus directly even once! And he was her son... was that not strange? He glanced at his young cousin, to see if he had an answer to this, but Maximus was staring after Rynda, before apparently feeling Triton's gaze and snapping his head back towards him.

"What?!" the younger boy snapped, his voice cold and jagged as ice shards.

Triton stepped back from the acid in those words alone, blinking. "I-"

"Just leave me alone!" Maximus' voice was angry, but it cracked halfway through the sentence, and he turned his back. Triton was sure Maximus had wiped back a tear, and put a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him. It couldn't be easy, to have his own mother disregard him. Rynda had not even asked for Maximus' side of the story! Surely her son's view should be the most important?

Maximus flinched from Triton's touch, hitting out and knocking the air from Triton as his fist met his stomach.

"Just leave me alone!" There was real pain in Maximus' voice now, but he fled before Triton could protest.

Triton stared after him for a long minute before looking at Karnak. "Pity our cousin perhaps should we? Mother and Father always being to find time for us. Maximus not being as fortunate, it seems."

Karnak shrugged. "Maybe. But the way he acts, he does bring it on himself. He is so unpleasant! Perhaps if he did not act so cruelly, he would not be so shunned and excluded."

Triton hesitated. "Perhaps..."

"Anyway, after the way he spoke to you, I do not want to waste any more time thinking about him." Karnak managed a smile. "We should go and join our cousins for lunch, before Gorgon eats half of it and Crystalia decides to feed Lockjaw the rest!"

Triton managed a laugh. Karnak paused and looked at him seriously. "You know that what Maximus said is not true, don't you, Brother? _No-one_ thinks as little of you as that. You heard what the queen said. We are all family. We all stand up for each other. And you belong with us."

The aquatic Inhuman nodded, cheered by his brother's words as they went to find the rest of their family. But even as they spent time together in good cheer, he found it hard to shake the thought: _We are all family. Yet no-one seems to mind that neither of the king's sons are among us_. He felt a twinge of pity for the completely isolated Blackagar, whom he might never meet, and a stronger swell of sadness for Maximus, who could join them but seemed determined to push them all away. He sighed, burying the thoughts as Crystalia toddled over, wanting a game.

Gorgon bellowed with laughter at some joke Karnak had made, while red-haired Medusalith shook her head at them, eating quickly, but looking as if her mind were elsewhere. She greeted Triton with a smile when their eyes met. He returned the smile, happy to just be with all of them for now. He wondered if his other two cousins were as lonely as he had once been...

Triton closed his eyes for a minute. _Someday we will all be together as one_. Until then, he would enjoy the family he had. A contented smile crossed his face. Being with them was worth the loss of his solitary life in the ocean.

 **The End**


End file.
